Happy New Year from Geekhaven!
I ended up with 4 different types of scoopable cat litter to fill my boxes. I know, some of you are going to say it's not good to change litter types, but when you have to have others get stuff for you, you take what you get and at least in my case, are grateful.
Anyway, I'm going to take this opportunity to update my ancient blog and give you a brief review of the various litters. I'll rank them worst to best, for whatever that's worth. I was going to include links, but I changed my mind because I don't feel like sending business to huge corporations, even if I do like their products.
4. Scoop Away.
If you have any sort of breathing or sinus issues, do NOT buy this litter!!!
I am completely serious. Pouring it into the cat box raised a cloud of dust that
actually obscured the wall behind the box. And when I cleaned the box out
today, each scoop raised a huge cloud of dust and I'm still feeling the effects,
2 hours later. I found the smell rather cloying. The lumps hold together well, though.
3. A brand name I can't remember from Dollar General (?)
This was picked up from a Dollar Store, though I'm not sure which one. Probably
Dollar General, since I had this brand when I lived in Bloomington, and I'm almost sure
it was purchased there. Less dust than Scoop Away, though still a decent amount. It
wasn't so bad when mixed with our #2 litter. It was more expensive than #2, and there
were only 20 lbs. in the box, rather than 27.
2. Special Kitty (You get it at Wal-Mart)
This is the brand I normally prefer. My former landlady didn't like it because
she said the clumps were too hard, which totally boggled my mind, as I thought
that was the whole point of good cat litter. The scent isn't too strong, and it doesn't
create much dust. Certainly not compared to #3 and #4.
1. Arm & Hammer
I have to say, I like this best. Little dust, nice clumping, and a mild scent. I
mixed it with the Special Kitty and it works marvelously. The price is why I can't use it
completely, or even primarily. Price is the main factor in all my purchases, especially
since I want to buy at least marginally good stuff for the cats. Mixing 2 or 3 parts Special Kitty
to 1 part Arm & Hammer makes a very good filling for cat boxes.
I filled them all yesterday, and cleaned them out today to determine how things worked. The box least used was the one filled with Scoop Away. Even Orion digging in the box raised clouds of dust. The most "popular" was the one filled with Arm & Hammer and Special Kitty.
Good news! Since I last posted, I left the increasingly unpleasant living environment in the trailer, and am now living in a charming 1950's ranch in Freeport, IL I've named Geekhaven. While it isn't what you'd call architecturally arresting, it has enough room for the Fuzzballs and I, along with assorted Denizens. My friend Gemma bought the house and invited me to live here with her so I'd always have a safe home for the rest of my life, which is, without a doubt the most wonderful thing anyone has ever done for me. I can't possibly tell you how grateful I am to her and her family for helping me.
But the house can be decorated, and it will be as things progress. I have a wish list, of course. *laughs* Anyway, since I can have things delivered to my home now, I found a marvelous website called Chewy.com. The prices are comparable to WallyWorld, they have excellent delivery, and a wide variety of brands, including ones I can afford! I've been feeding them just Purina One Urinary Tract dry food because of Orion's issues, but they're not doing well on just that, so I am adding Iams to the mix. They've had it before, and did well on it, though I don't feed as much gooshy as my FL* did. (FL = Former Landlady)
Anyway, Chewy.com is marvelous. I'd forgotten to add something to my order, and they'd already sent it out, though I'd only ordered an hour earlier. So they sent it in a separate order, and I didn't have to pay shipping! Also, there was a rip in my bag of Iams, so I called to see if it was safe to feed the Fuzzballs anyway. They were really nice about that as well, and assured me it should be fine.
I'm hoping I'll start updating more often, especially when I start gardening this spring. I've already ordered some seed catalogs, and I'm dreaming of potatoes and lettuce and Jerusalem artichokes. It's nice to dream of spring planting when it's -35F with the windchill. (and it isn't very windy) So I'm making potato soup tonight, and maybe a loaf of bread if my lungs clear out soon. I don't have a 'proper' recipe for potato soup, I pretty much make it up as I go, but here is how I've done it this time.
1 5-lb bag of potatoes (After I cut out the sprouts and icky bits and grungy peels, probably 4lbs)
2 or 3 yellow onions
5-6 cloves of garlic
1 pkg bacon
thyme
paprika, salt, pepper
water
Better than Bouillon Chicken Soup Base
milk
frozen corn
cheese
I didn't completely peel the potatoes, because the peel is full of nutrition, I just got rid
of the icky bits, and cut the potatoes into chunks. I boiled them with some kosher salt and
a spoonful of soup base. Meanwhile the bacon cooks, then the onions are cooked down till they're almost caramelized in some of the drippings, and the garlic added after the onions are 2/3rds cooked. Rub the thyme between your fingers and let it cook a moment in the hot fat before adding the contents of your pan to the potatoes. Throw a handful or 2 of frozen corn into the pot with the potatoes. Leave as much or as little of the potato water in as you want. I prefer lots of milk in mine. Let it all simmer together for a while, then add crumbled bacon and salt and pepper
before serving if you want. The way I do it is I add some of the bacon with the onions, then save
some crisp crumbly bits to let people add on their own, along with grated cheese, preferably sharp
white cheddar. It's best the next day, and with really rich milk. If I could afford it, I'd probably make it with just half & half. I sometimes add a red bell pepper with the onions, but they're expensive in the winter. It's a cheap soup if you have most of the stuff on hand, the milk and the bacon being the most expensive bits. I also have some green onions to add this time.
Like all soups, it's better the next day.
In closing, just let me say that I really am hoping to start updating more often. I also may be doing some editing/proofreading of a friend's blog, and helping an author friend with some beta stuff. I'm still sick, and still crippled, and still exhausted, but compared to how I was where I lived before, I'm vibrant and active.
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